Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-04-14
OF THE SEA.
An Old sailor Tells the Pathetic story Of his rirss
and Only Love.

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An Old sailor Tells the Pathetic story Of his rirs
and Only Love.
A Darien, Ca, correspondent of the
| Atlanta Constitution writes: Three
Jolly. countenanced men sat up in the
Firemen's hall the other eveningeaveI.
oped in an intense cloud of fragrant
smoke. Their appearance indicated
that they were sea captains. Here Is
to auld lang syne," said one, "and
may the devil take low freights and
averse winds" The toast was drank
enthusiastically. Speaking OF aud
lang syne," rejoined another, reminds
me of an adventure in my life thatfor
romance and sadness is hard to beat."
The weather. beaten countenance as
sumed a sad expression, and a slight
| tremor became noticeable in the speak-
er's voice. "Iwssyoungthen, "heoon-
tinued, a regular happy o-lucky dare
devil, twenty-four years of age, and in
command of as pretty and fast a
craft as ever SKINNED the Atlantic.
Socskummeren (thesea skimmerl, OF
Ayendal, Norway. Well, as fate
would have it, an old Norwegian cap
tain invited me aboard of his vessel,
| while lying in Oporto. 1t was here
met the fairy for the preservation o.
| whose life afterward recklessly risked
mine. 1t is only due to her, though,
to say that if eyer human frame were
endowed with heavenly qualities this
young daughter of a typical old sea
| dog could boast of them. | not only
| fell desperately in love with this fair
maiden. but became perfectly obilvious
to everything else. When with her |
imagined the very atmosphere was
impregnated with a hallowed sweet.
ness-when away from her the world
| seemed dark ard dreary. For two
weeks the Sockummeren had been
ready for sea, but despited determined ct.
forts to overcome my l~ntatuatlon !
could not leave the place where
she still fingered. She held me bound
in letters, which, though invisible,
were stronger than the ~stoutest OF
iron. Day after day my conscience
occasionally upbraided my weakness,
but only a moment after / Rugged the
chain that kept me s prisoner. At
last the old craft conts, min my treas
ure left the harbor. Sc 2xummeren
soon followed suit, and With the i'm
patience of a prancing steed she seem.
ed anxious to pass the vessel l loved
so well to follow. | gave orders to
shorten sail, and for days managed
the 'Socskummeren's speed 20 as to
remain beside her. We had arranged
a code of signals, and long after the
sun had sunk in the west or before
it had commenced to purple
the eastern sky l stood on the
| Socskummeren's deck gazing at
her. At last during a squally
night, we lost sight of her. ! secured
the ocean in all directions but fruit
lessly. Three solid weeks had paesed
and not a glimpse obtained of the 9TH
err vessel. One day when offthe BAHIA
mas we got into n of the most vio-
lent northers | had ever experienced.
With all her stanchness and seaworthy
qualities even the Socskummeren Jared
badly. A storm of ten hours tura.
ton had stirred the waters up terri
bly,. The atmosphere was hazy, and
it was impossible to see anything 500
yards distance. Judge, then, of my
surprise when suddenly a green-paint-
ed hulk, mastless and unnavigable,
appeared on the scene. With one
hand / held thespy-glass and with the
other l grasped the rigging. On dis
covering the situation all fears for the
safety OF myself, crew and vessel van.
ished. On the quarter deck, clinging TO
the railing, Isawt the n who was dear
er to me than anything on earth, and a
few feet distant, as it seemed, in su.
preme desperation, stood her aged sill.
ver-whiskered father. / Immediately
gave orders TO launch thelar-est boat,
and four brave-hearted young sailors
generously volunteered to accompany
me on my dangerous mission. A few
minutes after and we could only see
the Socskummeren when simultane-
ously on the crest of SOM gigantic
waves. By dint of a s~uperhuman
determination to save her life | sue
ceeded in getting her from the wreck into
my boat. How, | but indistinctly re-
member. / r~ecollect, however, that
when a huge w~avedashed our frail boat
against the Socskummeren managed,
with her on one arm, to grasp the rig
ging and remain on board while the
poor sailors found a watery grave.
When she was sale On the
Soeskummeren her first query was:
"Where is my father" While gazing
around vacantly her eyes caught the
green-painted storm tossed wreck and
her aged father still c~linging to It. A
scream as loud as a storm bird'scame
from her: she freed herself from my
grasp aud plunged overheard. In a
moment Ihad line around my waist
and plunged after her. was hauled
aboard again, bruised, battered, and
insensible. The ocean holds my frs.
and only love-"